Cyanotypes

Cyanotypes use a solution of iron compounds. The photograph can be taken with a camera and the resulting photo turned into a negative that can be used to make a cyanotype. The cyanotype is made up of two solutions, potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate are mixed with water separately. The two solutions are then blended together in equal parts. Paper,card,textiles or any other naturally absorbent material is coated with the solution and dried in the dark. objects or negatives are placed on the material to make a print. The cyanotype is printed using UV light such as the sun or a UV lamp. after exposure the material is processed by simply rinsing it in water. A white print emerges on a blue background and the final print is dried.
I opened my images in Photoshop changed it to black and white, increased the contrast and inverted it. I printed it onto tracing paper. I set up my board in the sun, put the paper down quickly and put my images on top then placed a piece of glass on top to keep the paper down. I timed it for about 8 minutes then put the paper in a black bag so that it would stop developing. I then took it into the darkroom and ran it under cold water. The image started to appear and the paper became blue. I left it in the dark to dry. I was pleased with my outcome as you can see what the images is clearly but to improve it I could have used an image that was more black and white. My image had quite a grey background so the print was quite dark instead of having defined dark and light parts.